4503.12
Transfer of ownership and registration.

(A)
Upon the transfer of ownership of a motor
vehicle, the registration of the motor vehicle expires, and the original owner
immediately shall remove the license plates from the motor vehicle, except
that:

(1)
If a statutory merger or
consolidation results in the transfer of ownership of a motor vehicle from a
constituent corporation to the surviving corporation, or if the incorporation
of a proprietorship or partnership results in the transfer of ownership of a
motor vehicle from the proprietorship or partnership to the corporation, the
registration shall be continued upon the filing by the surviving or new
corporation, within thirty days of such transfer, of an application for an
amended certificate of registration. Upon a proper filing, the registrar of
motor vehicles shall issue an amended certificate of registration in the name
of the new owner.

(2)
If the death
of the owner of a motor vehicle results in the transfer of ownership of the
motor vehicle to the surviving spouse of the owner or if a motor vehicle is
owned by two persons under joint ownership with right of survivorship
established under section
2131.12 of the Revised Code and
one of those persons dies, the registration shall be continued upon the filing
by the survivor of an application for an amended certificate of registration.
In relation to a motor vehicle that is owned by two persons under joint
ownership with right of survivorship established under section
2131.12 of the Revised Code, the
application shall be accompanied by a copy of the certificate of title that
specifies that the vehicle is owned under joint ownership with right of
survivorship. Upon a proper filing, the registrar shall issue an amended
certificate of registration in the name of the survivor.

(3)
If the death of the owner of a motor
vehicle results in the transfer of ownership of the motor vehicle to a
transfer-on-death beneficiary or beneficiaries designated under section
2131.13 of the Revised Code, the
registration shall be continued upon the filing by the transfer-on-death
beneficiary or beneficiaries of an application for an amended certificate of
registration. The application shall be accompanied by a copy of the certificate
of title that specifies that the owner of the motor vehicle has designated the
motor vehicle in beneficiary form under section
2131.13 of the Revised Code. Upon
a proper filing, the registrar shall issue an amended certificate of
registration in the name of the transfer-on-death beneficiary or beneficiaries.

(4)
If the original owner of a
motor vehicle that has been transferred makes application for the registration
of another motor vehicle at any time during the remainder of the registration
period for which the transferred motor vehicle was registered, the owner may
file an application for transfer of the registration and, where applicable, the
license plates. The transfer of the registration and, where applicable, the
license plates from the motor vehicle for which they originally were issued to
a succeeding motor vehicle purchased by the same person in whose name the
original registration and license plates were issued shall be done within a
period not to exceed thirty days. During that thirty-day period, the license
plates from the motor vehicle for which they originally were issued may be
displayed on the succeeding motor vehicle, and the succeeding motor vehicle may
be operated on the public roads and highways in this state.

At the time of application for transfer, the registrar shall
compute and collect the amount of tax due on the succeeding motor vehicle,
based upon the amount that would be due on a new registration as of the date on
which the transfer is made less a credit for the unused portion of the original
registration beginning on that date. If the credit exceeds the amount of tax
due on the new registration, no refund shall be made. In computing the amount
of tax due and credits to be allowed under this division, the provisions of
division (B)(1)(a) and (b) of section
4503.11 of the Revised Code shall
apply. As to passenger cars, noncommercial vehicles, motor homes, and
motorcycles, transfers within or between these classes of motor vehicles only
shall be allowed. If the succeeding motor vehicle is of a different class than
the motor vehicle for which the registration originally was issued, new license
plates also shall be issued upon the surrender of the license plates originally
issued and payment of the fees provided in divisions (C) and (D) of section
4503.10 of the Revised Code.

(5)
The owner of a
commercial car having a gross vehicle weight or combined gross vehicle weight
of more than ten thousand pounds may transfer the registration of that
commercial car to another commercial car the owner owns without transferring
ownership of the first commercial car. At any time during the remainder of the
registration period for which the first commercial car was registered, the
owner may file an application for the transfer of the registration and, where
applicable, the license plates, accompanied by the certificate of registration
of the first commercial car. The amount of any tax due or credit to be allowed
for a transfer of registration under this division shall be computed in
accordance with division (A)(4) of this section.

No commercial car to which a registration is transferred under
this division shall be operated on a public road or highway in this state until
after the transfer of registration is completed in accordance with this
division.

(6)
Upon
application to the registrar or a deputy registrar, a person who owns or leases
a motor vehicle may transfer special license plates assigned to that vehicle to
any other vehicle that the person owns or leases or that is owned or leased by
the person's spouse. As appropriate, the application also shall be accompanied
by a power of attorney for the registration of a leased vehicle and a written
statement releasing the special plates to the applicant. Upon a proper filing,
the registrar or deputy registrar shall assign the special license plates to
the motor vehicle owned or leased by the applicant and issue a new certificate
of registration for that motor vehicle.

(7)
If a corporation transfers the ownership
of a motor vehicle to an affiliated corporation, the affiliated corporation may
apply to the registrar for the transfer of the registration and any license
plates. The registrar may require the applicant to submit documentation of the
corporate relationship and shall determine whether the application for
registration transfer is made in good faith and not for the purposes of
circumventing the provisions of this chapter. Upon a proper filing, the
registrar shall issue an amended certificate of registration in the name of the
new owner.

(B)
An
application under division (A) of this section shall be accompanied by a
service fee of two dollars and seventy-five cents commencing on July 1, 2001,
three dollars and twenty-five cents commencing on January 1, 2003, and three
dollars and fifty cents commencing on January 1, 2004, a transfer fee of one
dollar, and the original certificate of registration, if applicable.

(C)
Neither the registrar nor a deputy
registrar shall transfer a registration under division (A) of this section if
the registration is prohibited by division (D) of section
2935.27, division (A) of section
2937.221, division (A) of section
4503.13, division (D) of section
4503.234, division (B) of section
4510.22, or division (B)(1) of
section 4521.10 of the Revised Code.

(D)
Whoever violates division (A)
of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.

(E)
As used in division (A)(6) of this
section, "special license plates" means either of the following:

(1)
Any license plates for which the person
to whom the license plates are issued must pay an additional fee in excess of
the fees prescribed in section
4503.04 of the Revised Code,
Chapter 4504. of the Revised Code, and the service fee prescribed in division
(D) or (G) of section
4503.10 of the Revised Code;